Pail having mop wringing grill

ABSTRACT

MOP PAIL STRUCTURE IN THE FORM OF A ROUND PLASTIC PAIL HAVING A TAPERED WALL AND HAVING A RECTANGULAR OPEN FRAME PRESSED ALONG THE OUTSIDE OF THE WALL OF THE PAIL AND FORMING THE TOP OF THE PAIL INTO A RECTANGULAR OPEN PAIL STRUCTURE. THE OPEN FRAME COOPERATES WITH THE NORMAL PIVOT EARS FOR THE CONVENTIONAL BAIL OF THE BUCKET, TO FORM A PIVOTAL MOUNTING FOR A GRILL-LIKE BAIL. THE GRILL-LIKE BNAIL IS IN THE FORM OF A RECTANGULAR GRILL HAVING A HANDLE ON THE OUTER SIDE THEREOF, WHICH MAY BE USED TO CARRY THE PAIL FROM PLACE TO PLACE, AND MAY BE ENGAGED WITH THE TOP OF THE PAIL TO ACCOMMODATE THE PLACING OF A MOP ON THE GRILL AND THE SQUEEZING OF THE MOP BY THE PRESSURE OF THE FOOT. THE RECTANGULAR OPEN FRAME NOT ONLY FORS THE TOP OF THE PAIL INTO A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR FORM, TO OBTAIN A GREATER AREA FOR THE GRILL, BUT ALSO STRENGTHENS THE PAIL TO THE EXTENT THAT HEAVY FOOT PRESSURE MAY BE EXERTED ON THE MOP AND GRILL WITHOUT DEFORMING OR OVERTURNING THE PAIL DURING A MOP WRINGING OPERATION.

United States Patent O 3,579,705 PAIL HAVING MOP WRINGIN G GRILL Gordon L. Blumenschein, Box 122, Lake Villa, Ill. 60046 Filed Jan. 23, 1969, Ser. No. 793,351 Int. Cl. A47l13/58 US Cl. 15-260 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Mop pail structure in the form of a round plastic pail having a tapered wall and having a rectangular open frame pressed along the outside of the wall of the pail and forming the top of the pail into a rectangular open pail structure. The open frame cooperates with the normal pivot ears for the conventional bail of the bucket, to form a pivotal mounting for a grill-like bail. The grill-like bail is in the form of a rectangular grill having a handle on the outer side thereof, which may be used to carry the pail from place to place, and may be engaged with the top of the pail to accommodate the placing of a mop on the grill and the squeezing of the mop by the pressure of the foot. The rectangular open frame not only forms the top of the pail into a generally rectangular form, to obtain a greater area for the grill, but also strengthens the pail to the extent that heavy foot pressure may be exerted on the mop and grill without deforming or overturning the pail during a mop wringing operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an improvement on the mopping apparatus of the E. A. Twerdahl Patents Nos. 2,605,- 492 and 2,664,584 in that it makes practical the use of a conventional round plastic pail as a mop pail and changes the form of the top of a pail to a rectangular form, materially strengthening the pail to withstand relatively heavy food pressure when wringing the mop on the grill-like bail and stabilizing the pail so as to prevent overturning thereof.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Mop pail structure having a round bottom and open top in which an open rectangular frame removably fitting along a round plastic pail from the bottom of the pail forms the top of the pail into a rectangular form and cooperates with the ears of the pail to form a trunnion support for a grill-like hail of the pail, and reinforces and stabilizes the pail to withstand the wringing pressure of the foot on a mop on the grill-like bail without deforming the pail.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved, simple and efi'icient mop pail structure making it possible to use a round plastic pail for wringing purposes by foot pressure on the mop and pail, by the use of a rectangular frame extending about the top of the pail and changing the form of the top of the pail from a circular to rectangular form, and thereby stabilizing and strengthening the pail.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mop pail structure, constructed from a plastic material and having a conventional round side wall and formed into a rectangular form by an open frame extending along the wall of the pail, and stabilizing the pail against tipping, and reinforcing the pail to make it possible to exert mop wringing pressure across the top thereof, without deforming the pail.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a plastic mop pail structure having a grill-like bail pivoted thereto and arranged to form a mop wringing surface to accommodate the pressure of the foot on a mop on the grill of the bail, as the bail extends along the top of the pail, in which a rectangular frame slipped along the pail forms the top of the pail into a rectangular form and stabilizes and reinforces the pail to enable foot pressure to be exerted on the grill-like bail Without deforming or overturning the pail.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an exploded generally perspective view showing a plastic mop pail and frame in position to be slipped along the pail from the bottom thereof.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the pail of FIG. 1 and with the rectangular frame forming the open top of the pail to a rectangular form, and stabilizing the pail to accommodate mop wringing foot pressure thereon.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the mop pail showing a grill-like bail pivoted thereon and in position to accomodate the wringing of the mop on the grating of the bail; and

FIG. 4 is a partial fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line IVIV of FIG. 3, showing a cellulose sponge type of mop on the grill-like bail, in position to be wrung by the foot.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION Referring now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a conventional plastic mop pail 10 having a circular open top having a bead 11 extending thereabout and having cars '12, '12 in diametrically opposed relation with respect to each other and extending upwardly of said head. The cars 12, 12 are apertured to form a pivotal connecting means for the conventional bail, which has been removed from the pail.

The pail '10 has a round bottom 13 with a generally frusto-conical side wall 15 extending upwardly and tapering outwardly of said bottom to the bead 11. The pail may be molded or otherwise formed from a suitable plastic material which may be deformed when cold. The pail 10 herein shown, is a conventional diaper pail but may be of any well known form of plastic pail. An open rectangular frame 16 is shown in FIG. 1 as being disposed beneath the pail into position to he slipped upwardly along the side wall of the pail and form the top portion of the pail into the generally rectangular form shown in FIG. 2.

The rectangular frame 16 may be made from wire or rod of sufficient cross section to hold the frame from deformation as slipped along the wall of the pail to change the shape of the top of the pail into the generally rectangular form shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The frame 16 is shown as being generally square having rounded corners. Aligned ears 17, 17 are mounted on said frame intermediate the sides thereof, to be aligned with the ears 12, 12 as the frame 16 is slipped along the bucket into engagement with the underside of the bead 11 (FIG. 2).

It will be understood that in assembling the open frame 16 to the round pail, the open frame is slipped along the wall of the pail from the bottom thereof up to the round bead 11 of the pail to thereby form the top of the pail into an open top generally rectangular form, in which the distance across the bead 11 in directions diametrically of the base 13 will be generally the same as the diameter of the base 13. This will confine the side walls of the pail into a rectangular form and in doing this will restrict the wall of the pail within the diametral limits of the base and stabilize the pail to prevent overturning of the pail upon the exertion of foot mop wringing pressure thereon. The open frame 16, by confining the top portion of the wall of the pail to a rectangular open top form reinforces and rigidifies the wall of the pail, to prevent buckling or spreading thereof, as foot pressure is exerted on a mop 19 on a grill-like bail 21, forming a bail for the bucket and a grill for wringing water from the mop to drain into said pail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bail 21 includes a generally elongated U-shaped frame member 22 extending across the top of the pail and having trunnion pins 23 extending from opposite ends of the legs of said frame member. The trunnion pins 23 are trunnioned in the aligned ears 12 and 17, to form a pivotal mounting for the bail, and accommodate a handle 25 of the grill-like bail' to be grasped by the hand to carry the pail from place to place, and to be moved into a generally horizontal position, resting on the top of the bead 11, for a mop wringing operation.

The handle 25 is shown as being generally U-shaped in form having a plastic or wooden handle 26 extending along the base of the U thereof and having parallel legs 27. The legs 27 extend through a base 29 of the U-shaped frame member 22 and may be riveted or otherwise secured thereto.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a series of parallel spaced elongated 'U-shaped grill plates 30 are mounted on the legs 27 of the handle 25 and have parallel legs 31 at opposite ends thereof. The legs 31 of the first of said grill plates abut the outside of the base 29, and the legs of the other of said grill plates abut said grill plates, to provide a rectangular drain grill adapted to have the mop 19 placed thereon and wrung by the pressure of the foot on the mop on the grill.

The mop 19 may be a conventional rectangular cellulose sponge mop 33 retained to a mop plate 35 by a fabric retainer 36. The fabric retainer 36 extends along the sides of the mop and over the top thereof and has spaced straps 37 extending over the top of the mop plate. Metallic snap buttons 39 on said straps snapped to corresponding snap buttons 40, projecting upwardly of the mop plate 35.

A bracket 41 extends upwardly of the transverse center of the mop plate 35 and has a rear inclined plate 42 disposed between two parallel plates 43 of the bracket 41, and forming a mounting for a mop handle 45, The bracket 41, mop handle 45 and means for mounting the mop handle to the mop plate 35 may be of any suitable construction and are no part of the present invention so need not herein be shown or described further.

While the mop 19 is herein shown as a cellulose sponge mop, it may be any conventional form of mop which may readily be placed on the grill-like bail 21 and squeezed by the pressure of the foot on the mop.

It should be understood that the mop pails may be shipped to the supplier without the bails, or open rectangular frames. This accommodates stacking of the pails for shipment and storage. The open frames and grill-like bails may then be assembled to the mop pails when it is desired to display or sell the mop pail assembly.

It may be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an improved mop pail structure by slipping a rectangular frame along the wall of a standard round plastic mop pail, which so reinforces the pail as to make it possible to use a plastic pail and wring a cellulous sponge mop or other mop by placing the mop on the grill of the bail and placing foot pressure on the mop without deforming or upsetting the pail.

It may further be seen that by the use. of the open rectangular frame of the present invention, the pail is not only strengthened but the rectangular open end of the pail formed by the open frame makes it possible to provide a wider bail and wringing grill than with a conventional mop pail and enables a conventional plastic pail to be used for wringing purposes.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which the invention may be embodied, it may readily be understood that various modifications and variations in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a mop pail structure, a round open top liquid container made from a plastic material having a round bottom and a side wall extending from said bottom and tapering outwardly from the bottom to the top thereof and having a bead extending along the top of the wall thereof,

a grill-like bail trunnioned to the top of said pail and having a drain grill extending therealong and accommodating a mop to be placed on said grill and to be wrung by the pressure of the foot on said mop,

and means reinforcing said pail to withstand the pressure of the foot on said grating without overturning or deforming said pail comprising,

an open rectangular frame in the form of a connected rectangle removably fitting along said pail and along said outwardly tapering wall from the bottom thereof into abutting engagement with the underside of the bead thereof and restricting the wall of said pail inwardly from a tapered to a generally vertical condition along diametrically opposed areas of said wall, and forming the open top of said pail into a generally rectangular form, and

a pivotal connection for said bail on said frame.

2. A mop pail in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the open frame has apertured ears extending upwardly from opposite sides thereof above the top of the pail when said open frame is in engagement with undersurface of said bead, and cooperating with said pail to form a trunnion support for said bail.

3. A mop pail in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the pail has diametrically opposed ears extending upwardly of said bead,

wherein the open frame has apertured ears extending upwardly of opposite sides thereof in alignment with said bead on said pail, when said open frame is pressed into engagement with said bead,

whereby said ears on said pail and said open frame may form a trunnion support for said grill-like bail and accommodate the pressure of the foot on a mop on said grill, to wring the mop without deforming or overturning said pail when said grill-like bail is in engagement with the top of the pail.

4. The mop pail of claim 3,

wherein the open frame is generally square in form and has rounded corners.

5. A mop pail structure in accordance with claim 4,

wherein the grill-like bail is generally rectangular in form and has aligned trunnion pins pivotally mounted in said ears of said bucket and said open frame.

6. A mop pail in accordance with claim 5,

wherein the grill-like bail includes a handle of a generally U-shaped form including a base and parallel spaced legs extending from said base,

wherein an elongated U-shaped frame forms a support for the inner ends of said legs of said handle and forms a mounting for said trunnion pins, and

wherein grill plates are mounted on said legs of said handle in parallel spaced relation with respect to each other to extend vertically when said handle is in engagement with the top of said pail.

7. The mop pail structure of claim 6,

wherein the grating plates each have spacer legs extending inwardly of opposite ends thereof, one pair of which spacer legs of a first grill plate is engageable with said U-shaped frame and the other pair of which spacer legs of the other grill plate is engageable with the adjacent grill plates, to space said grill plates apart to accommodate water to drain therethrough.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 References Cited 2,519,666 8/1950 Knox 15-264X 2,664,584 1/1954 Twerdahl 15260 5 3,035,623 5/1962 Goetz 150-48 FOREIGN PATENTS 91,986 1/1962 Denmark 15-260 10 1,322,948 2/1963 France 15051 U.S. Cl. X.R. 

